The unexpected turn
by nanal
Summary: What happens when a potions master finds Harry beaten and starved. Will he help him, or does he still sees James Potter every time he looks at Harry. 7th year, AU, slash, child abuse.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing.

**Author's notes**: Be warned, this story will be slash. If you don't like it, please do not read it. Sorry that this chapter is a little short. The next one should be longer. And please be aware that English is not my primary language. Thank you!

_**Chapter 1**_

It was a bright, sunny afternoon in the middle of the summer, when Severus Snape walked down the road in a muggle neighbourhood. He was naturally in a sour mood, as he had to wear trousers and a T-shirt instead of his usual comfortable robes that bellowed around him as he walked. He was still dressed in black of course, but that didn't improve his mood.

"Stupid muggles," he murmured quietly. "Creatures without imagination. How do they even find their own house, all of them being exactly the same." He was on an errand for gathering rare potions ingredients. One of his long term contacts contacted him about dragon scales he was selling, but refused to meet anywhere magical. Hence, Severus was walking to a number 10 Privet Drive in Surrey. It was the first time he's been here, so he has had some problems locating the house. Not that he would admit that to anyone.

Finally, he knocked on the door.

"Good to see you, Severus." said the man who opened the door. "It's been a long time. How have you been?"

Snape scowled and remained quiet as walked passed the man in to the house. "Do you have it, or not?" he asked, when the door closed.

"Jeez, lighten up. Would it kill you if you would be nice for once? Oh, don't answer that, I'm sure it would. Now to business… Of course I have it. The same price as the last time." answered Bryant.

"Very well," said Severus, while he checked the given scales for the quality. Seeing they were satisfactory, he turned towards his acquaintance and said: "Send me an owl when you get the blood. I will run out of it soon."

"Of course," answered the brown haired man, "I will try to get it as soon as possible. What are you making this time? Anything special?"

"That is none of your concern," Severus scowled at Bryant. He nodded at the man and swept passed him once again and left the house.

Again, regretting he was in a muggle world and could not just apparate, he turned back to the way he came from. As he was nearing the end of the street, where he could apparate safely from a backyard of an abandoned building, a figure caught his attention. Someone was lying on the grass, near the back entrance of a house. "Lazy muggles. All of them are without a shred of decency." Then he looked closer. "That can not be comfortable. Lying across the steps like that." He stopped then, and saw that the figure lay just as a body would. Not a trace of life seen in the posture and one leg bend in an odd angle, the figure was lying with the face down in the grass. With a sigh he changed his course. He knelled next to the young boy, and turned him around.

What he saw shocked him. A lightening bold on the middle of the forehead and black messy hair. However, that was not the main reason for his shock. The face was one giant bruise, the nose was showing signs of being broken repeatedly and his lips were chapped because of dehydration. "Potter!" he exclaimed. He checked for a pulse and sighed with relief when he found one. He almost jumped when Harry opened the unfocused eyes. "Uncle, please…." He said with a raspy voice and the green eyes shuttered closed again.

"Potter!" Snape gently shook the boys shoulder. Harry moaned in pain and opened his eyes again. "What…?" he asked confused. "Professor?"

"Yes. What happened?" the man in question asked, but he didn't receive an answer, as Harry lost consciousness already.

Severus cursed and gently picked Harry up. He quickly looked around, and seeing no one, apparated away, not having time to look for a better location to apparate.

* * *

He hurried up the small path leading to a massive door of a large manor house. Before he could open the door himself, they opened and a house elf squeaked, "Master Snape, sir!"

"Tell Chip to get my emergency healing kit and put it in the guest room opposite of my office. Then prepare the bed. Now!" almost shouted Snape. With the boy still in his arms he hurried up the stairs and along a corridor until he finally stepped into a room.

He gently put Harry down into a freshly made bed. His hands almost hesitated when he moved to take Potter's clothes off. He had to be certain what the damage was, before he could give his any potions, but was scared what he'll find under the clothes. He tried to prepare himself for the worse, but it was still shocking when he saw the damage.

The ribs were sticking out, the proof that Potter had not gotten much to eat since the summer holidays started a month ago. At least one rib appeared to be broken, but luckily, if you can call it that, it didn't damage the lungs. His left leg was a mess. His knee was completely shattered and it would take some time before if was healed again and strong enough to hold his weight, no matter how light he actually is.

With one last look Severus got to work. He expertly poured the potions down Harry's throat. He tightly wrapped the ribs with bandages and adjusted the knee in the right position. After checking that the potions started to work, he set a charm on the leg, so Harry would not be able to bend or move it.

Satisfied with his worked he put the covers over the boy, set a charm that would notify him if he would awoke, however, he didn't expect that for at least two days. His body definitely needed the recovery time. The professor turned around and quietly left the room.

He opted for going to his study to think. He moved to the cabinet and poured himself a large glass of whiskey. It was entirely to early to be drinking, he knew that, but he desperately needed the drink. He settled down in his armchair, faced the fire that was charmed not to give away any heat, and started sipping at his drink. "What in Merlin's name happened," he asked nobody in particular. "Where were those muggles? Weren't they supposed to look after the boy?"

Lost in his thoughts he never noticed when the sun hid behind the horizon. Only after his back started aching he noticed how late is actually was. He went to check on the boy and then after a quick shower, retired for the night. Everything else could wait until the morning.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own it.

**_Chapter 2_**

Severus Snape woke early, not knowing what bothered him at first. Then he remembered. Potter in his guestroom. He put on his robes and swept down the hall to the room. Potter was still dead to the world. A quick swish of his wand told him that he was healing nicely. Better than he expected actually. He took a jar of green looking lotion that was standing on the bed side table. He spread it across the boy's face and rubbed it in. "That should help with the bruises."

He went across the hall to his study and kneeled in front of the fire. He threw some floo powder and yelled, "Albus Dumbledore's office, Hogwarts School of witchcraft and wizardry." The next moment the headmaster's head appeared in the fire.

"Hello Severus. How can I help you on this lovely morning?" he asked cheerfully. "I hope you had no problems yesterday?"

"Actually, Albus, that is precisely why I am calling. On my way back I found Potter in a backyard of some house in that neighbourhood. It seemed as he hadn't eaten in weeks, and has been beaten quite terribly. You better step through."

Albus lost the cheerful look on his face. "Right away Severus. Do you need me to get Madame Pomfrey as well?"

"No thank you Albus. I am quite capable of healing some broken bones, as you well know," said the Potions Master and stepped away from the fireplace, to allow Albus to step through.

He led Albus quietly to the boy's bedside. "He had three broken ribs, broken nose, shattered knee in his left leg, severe bruising on his face and chest," Severus began explaining in a soft voice, "and as you can see, is extremely undernourished. He has clearly been starving himself since the holidays started!"

Albus sadly stared at Harry. "I don't think that he did this on purpose, Severus."

"What do you mean? It is clear what happened! Apparently our Golden Boy," the Professor spat out, "thinks he is above every human being, doesn't even need food any more. And apparently some of the other kids took revenge for his superior behaviour. The only thing I do not understand, is why his family did not force feed him!"

Albus directed his gaze at the man. "Severus, you know as well as I do, that Harry is not like that. He would never think himself above everyone else," the headmaster started explaining calmly," and as for starving himself… I do not believe that to be the case here. I am afraid that his family did this to him."

Severus Snape looked shocked at that. "What? That can not be possible! They spoil him rotten! You know that!"

"No, Severus, I do not know that. In fact, I know that there was never much love between Harry and the Dursleys. For a spy, you certainly always were blind to the facts about Harry."

Severus looked angrily at Professor Dumbledore.

"No, hear me out," interrupted Dumbledore, even before Snape could open his mouth to reply. "Did you never notice Harry's clothes? Or should I say, Dudley's clothes that Harry always wore, when not in robes? And how he was always sad when holidays began? No, they never liked each other much. But I though… I… I never imagined they would do something like this to him," he ended with tears in his eyes.

He sat in the chair beside the bed, and took one of Harry's hands gently in his. "I am so sorry my boy… I completely failed you."

Severus slowly came out of his shock. "Albus, it wasn't your fault. They are his family! You couldn't know!" "Anyway, we have to think ahead first. Where will the boy go now? There is still a month until school starts. I am sure the Weasleys will take him in. God knows one child more will not even show in that house."

"No, he can't go there. With Voldemort still after him, it wouldn't be safe," replied Albus.

"Hogwarts then." "No, I am afraid not," Albus interrupted, "the Ministry would never allow it. You know it is not allowed for students to reside in Hogwarts during the summer holidays. We would need special permission, but they would want to know why he isn't staying with his relatives as usually. We can't afford to give them this information. And if they found out about this… Severus, they mustn't! They would make him a ward of the Ministry, and you know that would be terrible! They would get him killed in a week!"

"Right. Not Weasleys and Hogwarts. Where then? I can see you're already planning something, and I dread to find out what it is," said Severus.

"Why, here of course! With you. If Voldemort didn't find out where is your house in all those years, I am sure he won't be able to do it now. He will be perfectly safe here, from Voldemort and from the Ministry."

Severus' mouth opened, but no sound came out for several seconds. "You can't be serious! We hate each other! I won't stand that spoiled brat in my home for a month!" he said when he finally found his voice.

"I thought we just established that he isn't as spoiled as you thought? Please, Severus, this is our only option. Besides, who can help him heal better than you?"

Severus muttered something under his breath, but then relented. "Fine, but you owe me!"

"Of course. Thank you," said Albus with a small smile. "I must be going now. I trust you have everything under control? I will check on you and Harry soon. Have a nice time together," he bid farewell and went back to the study and used the floo to go back to Hogwarts.

The Potions Master dropped into the just vacated chair and put his head in his hands. "What have I done to deserve this?" At least, thankfully, Potter was still asleep.

When he came to his senses, it was already lunchtime. "Kizzy," he called and the house elf that greeted him the day before, appeared in the room. "What can Kizzy do for Master Severus, sir?" she asked excitedly.

"Lunch to be served in the dining room," answered Severus and made his way there. He only had to wait a couple of seconds when his other house elf, Chip, served the meal. "Would you like anything else, Master Severus, sir?"

Severus just shook his head in dismissal and began his meal. His mother thought her house elves how to speak properly, she couldn't stand their normal drivel.

When he finished his lunch, he made his way to the potions lab. With precise motions he began preparing several potions at the same time. Slicing, dicing, chopping… Mechanically preparing potions he new by heart, Severus didn't notice passage of time, until his wand began vibrating in his pocket. Signal that Potter is waking up. Severus scowled, "He shouldn't be awake for at least a day," and went to check on the boy.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own it.

_**Chapter 3**_

Harry slowly came back to consciousness. His whole body ached, his left leg hurt like hell and on top of it all, he had a headache. After a couple of minutes of trying to figure out where he was, he opened his eyes. That didn't help him much, as everything was blurry and he couldn't recognise his surroundings. With great difficulty he managed to lift himself and put a pillow behind his back. He blindly felt on the bedside table, and found his glasses. He put them on and looked around.

He was in a huge room, with nice furniture in dark mahogany colour. The room had a homey felling, but he didn't recognize it. It certainly wasn't a room at the Dursley's house, the Burrow, or at Grimmauld place and he doubted that he was at Hogwarts, too. So, where was he then?

Just then, the door he didn't even noticed, opened. And to his great shock, Professor Snape walked into the room. Harry opened his mouth in shock and tried to say something, but he couldn't say anything.

With a glare directed at Potter, Snape walked to the bed and called Kizzy, "A glass of water if you would, Kizzy." "Of course, Master Severus," and the next moment a glass of water appeared on the bedside table. He lifted it and handed it to the boy. "Drink, your throat is still quite sore. Extreme dehydration can do that to one's body."

"Professor Snape? Where am I? What am I doing here? Why am I not at the Dursleys? How did I get here, wherever here actually is? And what are you doing here?" Harry started babbling.

Severus had to suppress the urge to roll his eyes at his stupidity. "If you actually want an answer, Potter, I suggest that you shut you mouth and stop this drivel. You can't expect me to answer your questions if you keep on asking new ones."

"Now, as far as your questions go… Yes, I am Professor Snape, as you well know. I do not know why you have to make such obvious questions. You are currently located in my house, more precisely, in my spare bedroom. That being clear, I think it is obvious what I am doing here, as you put it. I live here. This is my home. I had the misfortune of finding you almost dead, so I apparated you here. I believe that answers your questions adequately?"

"I… Yes. I guess so. Except… Why am I still here? I mean, I understand that you had to bring me somewhere, but I would expect you would already move me someplace else? Hogwarts infirmary or somewhere?"

"And you would be correct in your assumption. However, that decision was not up to me. The Headmaster decided that this is our only option, as appears that you can't remain safe even with your relatives, so you need a babysitter with you at all times," he ended with a scowl.

"I am sorry, sir," said Harry so quietly, that Snape almost didn't hear him. The apology astonished him. This was so unlike the Potter he new at Hogwarts. Arrogant, full of himself, so much like his father. Before he could think of something to say, he saw Potter's eyes clench in pain. "Idiot boy, couldn't you tell me you are in pain?" he moved to some potions from his kit, which was still located near the bed.

"Here, drink this. Pain relieve potion, and dreamless sleep. We can talk more at a later time. I believe even Dumbledore will come to talk to you." When Harry swallowed the potions, he helped him to lie back down and in a moment, Potter was asleep again.

Before he went back to his lab, he checked that Potters injuries were indeed healing correctly.

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When Albus floo back to Hogwarts, the first thing he did, was order a cup of tea from the house elves. He slowly sipped the hot liquid while he thought about how to make it up to Harry.

When Fawkes warned him that someone is coming up the stair to his office, he invited the person in, even before she managed to knock on the door, "Come in Minerva."

"Hello Albus. Do you have a minute? I need to talk to you about…" She stopped talking when she noticed how tired and sad the headmaster looked. "Albus, what's wrong?"

"Harry is currently being healed by our potions professor. He was badly beaten and…," his voice broke. After a minute he continued, "the Dursleys apparently starved him, too."

"The Dursleys? Oh my… Is he going to be all right? Why isn't he at the infirmary with Poppy?" she slowly took a seat in front of Dumbledore's desk and tried to come to terms with this new information.

"Yes, he should heal completely. It could take some time for him to use his left leg properly again, but I think that before school starts again, he should be all right. I just… I put him there Minerva! Even though I knew that Lily and Petunia never got along. Even after I knew they didn't want him there. And I didn't check on him. I trusted Arabella that she would tell me if something was wrong."

"Albus, this isn't your fault. Neither is this Arabella's fault. You know that Harry is good at keeping secrets. He might as well be taking lessons about that from Severus," she tried to reassure Albus. "Have you taken care of the Dursleys yet? I would love to come with you," she added.

"No, I have not. But you know we can't make this a public knowledge. The Daily Prophet will splatter the entire story on the front page! And the Ministry mustn't find out about this! However, I think you are right. We still have to pay them a visit. If for nothing else, I believe Harry's things are still there."

"All right," agreed McGonagall. "What are you waiting for then? Let's go!" she turned and left the office at a quick pace.

Albus looked astonished as he looked after her. Then he came to his senses and hurried after her. "She always was very protective of her lions," he mussed quietly.

"I almost thought you aren't coming with me," commented Minerva after he finally caught up with her at the main entrance and smiled at him.

"Of course I am going!"

In a comfortable silence they walked down to the Hogsmeade and dissaperated with a very soft 'pop'.

**A/N:**I want to thank Pip3, windlg, Mimaindi, tevote and DebsTheSlytherinSnapefan for their reviews. Thanks!!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own it.

_**Chapter 4**_

They apparated in a muggle neighbourhood, the same one that Snape visited just a day before. They made their way towards number 4, with a charm cast to their robes, so they appeared as normal muggle clothes. Albus raised his hand, and knocked on the door.

After a few moments, Petunia opened the door, and froze, having recognized the two people in front of her as wizards. "Vernoooon!" she screamed when she became aware of her surroundings once again. A huge man quickly, well, as quickly as he could with his weight, came to the door, to see what was wrong.

"Freaks! What are you doing here! I don't want freaks coming to my house! Go away, know!" he screamed at the headmaster and deputy headmistress.

Albus's face darkened and Vernon stopped talking in freight. "Let us in right now, or you will regret it." Without comment, visibly shaken Vernon and Petunia stepped away from the entrance, and let the wizards in.

"Minerva, would you be so kind to find Harry's things, while I deal with them?" he asked and Minerva just nodded once, and headed down the hall, with a wand in her hands.

As you are probably, or at least should be, aware, my name is Albus Dumbledore. I am a Headmaster at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Just an hour or two ago, it came under my attention that you abused your nephew, Harry Potter. As child abuse is a serious crime, in both, magical and muggle community, I should simply notify the aurors, or, as you call them, police. However, given the fact that Harry is treated as a hero in our world, I am sure you would be killed before the trial or afterwards in prison. That, and some other facts, led me to decision, that I will not notify the aurors.

Vernon and Petunia visibly relaxed, but then Albus started talking again. "However, you will certainly not escape without punishment. That is why I have decided to use an old punishment curse. It punishes the person justly for the crime he or she has committed. In your case, I suppose you will feel extreme hunger, thirst and pain, for every time you have starved or beat Harry."

With that said, Harry's aunt and uncle started screaming, "Now listen hear you freak! What kind of a fight to have to barge into our home and threaten us with freakish magic! I won't stand this! Get out of my house fight now! Besides, the little freak deserved everything he got!"

Albus did not listen to them. He merely took his wand out of his robes and cast the spell, "Scilicet poena!"

Petunia and Vernon collapsed with despair on the floor, when the curse started working. But Albus wasn't looking at them any more. He focused his attention back to Minerva, who came down the stairs in that moment, holding Hedwig in her cage. "Did you manage to find everything, my dear?" he asked her.

"Yes, Albus," she answered with almost happiness on her face as she looked at the scared muggles. Then she grew serious again, "His trunk was locked in the cupboard under the stairs. It seems like it served as a room sometime in the past, maybe even recently, I can not be sure. Hedwig was in a room upstairs. I am afraid she is in a bad condition. We must get her to Hagrid. I am sure she will be able to help here. Mostly she is just week from hunger an thirst, and I am sure being locked up didn't help matters. I also found his photo album, his wand and invisibility cloak under a loose floorboard, near his bed."

"Wonderful! I am sure Harry will be happy to hear that. We are ready to go back, I believe?"

Minerva nodded and they walked back to the point where they disapparated back to Hogwarts. After the journey back to Albus's office, they set down to drink a cup of tea. "That was a job good done," commented Minerva.

"I couldn't do anything less for my boy. They deserve that. And in the unlikely event that the ministry finds out, the spell is not illegal, as it can not affect innocent man."

The deputy headmistress smiled at the man, and took her leave from the office, "I really must be going now Albus. I will take Hedwig down to Hagrid's hut. I hope he is there, to tend to her. Please contact me if you need anything at all. And please say hello to Harry for me, when he is feeling better."

"Of course Minerva, tell Hagrid to come visit me tomorrow, so I can explain everything to him. I am sure he will have questions about what happened to Hedwig, and where Harry is. No need to bother yourself with an angry half-giant," he chuckled. "Good-bye!"

* * *

Just as Severus was finishing a batch of Blood-Replenishing Potion for his private stock, Chip popped into the room. "Headmaster Albus Dumbledore has just arrived to your office by floo, Master Severus, sir."

"Thank you Chip, tell him I will be there shortly."

Severus took the cauldron from the fire to let it cool down, before it would be ready to pour into phials. But that could wait. Albus, on the other hand… he dreaded to think what that man would do if left to long alone in the study. Honestly, couldn't he start behaving his own age, not like a deranged teenager?

"Hello Albus, what brings you back so soon? I expected you to come back tomorrow morning," greeted Severus.

"Ah, yes, I planned that to, but then I remembered that a certain family had to be dealt with, and that I have to get Harry's things as well. How is he? Any change?" he asked worriedly.

"Yes, he woke up this afternoon for a short while. He was mostly shocked to discover where he was. I explained everything to him, and told him that you will be visiting soon if he has any additional question. He is healing quite nicely. However, he is still in pain from his injuries, so I had to dose him with a Pain relieve and a Sleeping potion."

"Thank you Severus. I knew I could count on you. No point on bothering him now, yes?"

"No, he will still be under the influence of the potion. Let him rest for now and visit him some other day. Maybe tomorrow or the day after that, if you wish. I expect him to sleep till the morning at least. His body is exhausted from the injuries and trying to heal itself with magic."

Albus almost stared at his potions professor, who apparently already managed to get over his grudge. "That was quick," thought to himself. "Well, he always was a reasonable man, when facing all the facts." Aloud, he said, "I shall see you tomorrow probably," and nodded. "Could you tell Harry that Hedwig is currently recovering with Hagrid? I am sure he will be happy to know that his familiar is going to be all right. And here is his school trunk as well," he said while he took the trunk out of his pocket and returned it to its normal size.

"As you wish, Albus," Severus agreed. "And just what do you mean by 'having to deal with the muggles'? I at least hope they suffered."

That surprised Albus once again. "Past tense, Severus? Suffered? No, I assure you, they are still suffering. As we can't involve aurors in this, I used Scilicet poena curse, I believe you are familiar with it?"

"Yes. I am glad to hear they didn't get the easy way out. They deserve even worse, if you ask me." The one thing Severus hated more than the Dark Lord, was child abuse, having to suffer countless years because of his own abusive father.

"Then I will see you tomorrow Albus. Have a nice day."

"You as well, my boy," and Albus disappeared back into the green flames.

The potions master turned around and went to the guest bedroom. Putting the trunk down next to the wardrobe, he saw that Potter was still in a deep sleep. He took the healing lotion and applied it to Harry's bruises.

Seeing how late it actually was, he went to the kitchen for a quick, late supper. As he ate, he began, once again, thinking about how wrong he was about the boy. How could be so blind? He, who took pride in reading other people so well, knowing when they were lying and noticing what other didn't see. He seriously needed to rethink his every opinion about the boy. Did he really treat him like that just because of his dead father, that the boy didn't even know?

Well, he was certainly not going to be nice to the boy. But maybe… he could try treating him like he treated the rest of the Gryffindors.

With that in mind, he retired for the night.

A/N: Please review!


	5. Chapter 5

I don't own it.

_**Chapter 5**_

Severus got up very early. He was plagued by nightmares of his own childhood the entire night. He was tired and in a bad mood. On top of it all, Potter should be awake today. Not willing to deal with him the first thing in the morning, he went to the dining room, where he ordered some breakfast and a cup of tea from the eager house elves.

He somewhat felt better after the food. He decided to go look if the boy was awake yet.

Harry was sleeping comfortably in a soft bed, when he heard the door opened. His first instinct was that he overslept again, and his uncle came to punish him. Half asleep he jump from the bed and took cover in the corner of the room, with hands protecting his head as if waiting for blows to start coming, and his legs crunched against his chest, protecting his vital organs. "I am sorry uncle, I promise it won't happen again! Please!"

Severus froze, shocked. He certainly didn't expect that. "Boy! What do you think you're doing! I am certainly not your uncle!"

Apparently, that was not the right thing to do, as it seemed to push the boy in even greater distress. He sighted. "Potter!" and the boy flinched. "Harry," he tried again, with softer voice. "Harry, do you hear me? You are safe here, your uncle is will not hurt you again, I promise." He slowly came near the boy and continued to talk with a soft voice. He gently put his hand on Potter's shoulder. That seemed to bring him out of his trance.

Feeling a hand gently touch his shoulder he cautiously raised his head, surprise shown in his eyes. Blood rushed into his head, when he realised where he was and what happened. Embarrassed, he dropped the gaze again. "I am sorry Professors. I panicked, I was half asleep at the time, and I didn't know what I was doing."

"It is understandable," Severus moved his hand from Harry's shoulder to his chin, to force the boy to look at him. "Survival instincts are hard to overcome. Do not worry about it. With time, you will get over it." Inwardly, Severus flinched. Just a previous evening he said he would not be nice to the boy, and now this! Seeing in Potter's eyes that he somewhat accepted what he said, he stood up. "Now get back to bed, I didn't heal all your injuries so you could destroy all my wok in a second!"

Harry tried to stand up, but hissed in pain, when he moved his left leg. He didn't even notice it before now, but it hurt like hell. Snape moved back to him and lifted him up, making him blush again. He was not a baby to be moved like that! But he chose not to comment, fearing the professor's foul temper. Next he was given a Pain relieve potion, which he drank without thought, and made a face at the horrible taste.

"Amongst all other injuries, your left knee was badly shattered. So do not attempt to stand up or use your knee until I say so, otherwise you will be limping for the rest of your life. I expect that after a week or two, you should be able to start moving around, with crouches of course. Your other injuries are mostly healed. You shouldn't feel any major discomfort, except for stiffness. As you can not come to the dining room for your meals, the house elves will bring them to you. If you need something, call for Kizzy. She will either be able to help you, or call me. However, because I know that there is nothing else in your head that mischief if you are left alone for to long, I expect you to start working on your summer homework. I will collect it when it is finished and read it. I expect some effort put into it, not the usual rubbish you come up with every year."

Harry obediently nodded, but stayed quiet. It was hardly his fault if he wasn't allowed to do his homework at home, like other students, but had to write it his first night back in his bed at night.

"You will find your trunk with the rest of your belongings next to the wardrobe. Call Kizzy if you need something from it, do not go and get it by yourself. Now that we have clarified this, do you have any questions?"

Harry thought for a moment, but then he remembered, "Hedwig! Is she all right? Where is she? Can I see her?"

"Ah, yes. Albus informed me that she is staying with Hagrid for the time being. She was in a better shape that you, so she will be all right. Is there anything else you would like to know at the present time?"

"No thank you, sir."

"Kizzy!" called Severus and continued when she popped into the room, "bring some porridge for Potter." To Harry, he explained, "Your stomach is not used to getting food right now, so you would be sick if you tried eating solid food right away."

"Thank you, Kizzy," said Harry to the female elf that brought him his breakfast. After weeks of hardly getting any food at all, it didn't really matter what he got. He was just happy to get some food again.

"I shall leave you to it, then," said Severus and swept out the door.

By the time Harry has finished his meal, he was tired again. The knock on the door however, disturbed him from his plans to go back to sleep. "Yes?" he called out quietly, not being able to use his voice properly yet.

"Harry my boy," said Albus happily as he entered the room. "I am so glad to see you awake. I've been very worried about you."

"Sorry, sir," said Harry ashamed.

"What ever for?"

"To make you worry, sir."

Albus stared surprised. He took a seat on the side of the bed, and looked Harry in the eyes.  
"Harry, it was and is not your fault at all! Your aunt and uncle are responsible for what they had done to you. You couldn't fight them. If it was anyone's fault, it was mine, for putting you there in the first place."

"No sir! It's not your fault!" protested Harry.

"Then it is not yours either."

Harry looked at the Headmaster, and slowly nodded his head. Albus smiled. "Now, I trust Severus informed you where Hedwig is?"

"Yes, sir," nodded Harry. "Thank you for getting her. Oh, did you by any chance find the stuff under the floorboard?"

"Yes, we found it. I put it in your trunk. I am going to take my leave now, and let you to get some sleep. I see that you are quite tired. Good-bye Harry."

"Good-bye Headmaster," he answered and within minutes, he was fast asleep.

* * *

After the morning's incident, Severus was having quite a good day. He spent most of the day in his potions lab, where he experimented with some potions he was currently trying to improve. Then he went into the library, to read a new potions journal and some other books he was interested in. It was late afternoon, when he realized he was hungry. The elves knew not to bother their master when he was working.

He called Kizzy. "I would like a late lunch to be served in the dining room. And tell me, did you take Potter his lunch?"

"Yes master Severus, he woke up an hour ago and called Kizzy for food. Kizzy will get Master's lunch right away," the little elf bowed and with a soft pop, she was gone.

After his lunch he made his way upstairs, to check on the boy. He carefully stepped into the room, as he didn't want to repeat the disaster from this morning. Potter's back was turned away from him. First he thought he was asleep again, but when he moved to take a look on his face, he saw that was not the case.

Potter was awake, but his face was distorted in pain. Tears shed across his cheeks. Green eyes slowly opened, and pain was evident in the look.

"Potter!" He bellowed. What is the meaning of this? Is the Golden Boy to good for pain potions? Why didn't you call for me like I instructed!"

"I didn't want to be a burden," said a small voice.

"You continue to be a burden if you do not follow my clear instructions!" Severus yelled in anger. He took a potion from his pocket, and threw it to the boy. "Drink this!" To angry to stand around, he walked away.

Harry took the potion and drank it. Quickly the pain disappeared, but the tears remained. Not because of the physical pain, but because he just wanted to make the right thing, not bothering the professor just because he was in pain, he could handle it. After all, he was used to it. Apparently, he screwed up again.

* * *

Snape slammed the door of his study behind him. He made his way to the liquor cabinet and poured himself some whiskey. "Damn the spoiled brat!" After a while, he calmed down a little. He began thinking about the incident. "Why didn't the boy tell Kizzy he needed the potion? Did the boy really think he would be thought of as a burden just if he asked for a potion?"

Realization dawned onto his face. He groaned. "Of course. His damn relatives." He would really need to keep his temper in check if he wanted the boy to recover. The only thing he didn't know was what he did to deserve this. Couldn't someone else be responsible for the boy's recovery? Minerva was his head of house, so how come he had to take care of him.

Not feeling right to leave the things between the boy and himself as they were, he went to check on the boy again. He found him fast asleep, with tear marks still apparent on his face. He sat on the chair beside the bed and wiped the marks away. He pulled the duvet to cover the boy's shoulders and left the room, to get some sleep too.


	6. Chapter 6

I do not own it.

_**Chapter 6**_

Harry woke up as sun begun to shine on his face. It was still early, and he wanted to turn around and simply go back to sleep. But as he turned, he saw something that changed his mind. Crouches were lying on the floor next to his bed! That meant he could finally get up today!

It was extremely annoying to be in bed the last two weeks, with nothing to do except for homework, which he completed in the first week. Then he started reading some books Professor Snape recommended, mostly on defence, but some of them, surprisingly, potions. He got along better with his professor now. The man sometimes came into his room to keep him company. He would most definitely go mad without someone to talk to. First, they talked about his homework and Hogwarts. Then, they talked about the books he was reading. Snape would explain to him the theory behind some curses, or explained why it is important for some potions ingredients to be chopped, not sliced. He really was quite a good teacher when he actually wanted to teach, not just yell at his students. They still didn't breach the topic of Harry's abuse, but that was he topic no one has been comfortable discussing yet.

Sometimes Professor Dumbledore came to visit him. They didn't talk about anything important mostly. It was still nice of him to keep him company. The long hours of not being able to get out of bed were also spent writing letters. Hedwig was completely healed, and she most definitely appreciated having something to do. She was regularly seen caring letters between the Burrow, Hermione's house and Harry. Sometimes he even wrote a letter to Remus. He wasn't allowed to mention to his friends where he was staying, or what was happening to him, so they still thought he was staying with his family. Harry felt a little bad about that, but he sensed his friends weren't really opened about what was happening with them either. They were keeping something from him, and they weren't very good at disguising it, so he noticed it right away. He still didn't know exactly what it was, but he had his suspicions.

Just in that moment, Hedwig flew in with a letter tied to her leg. "Hey girl. How are you," asked Harry as she landed next to him. As a reply, she nibbled on his fingers, and then showed him her leg. He untied the letter and opened it.

_Hey mate!_

_Hope those muggles are treating you well?_

_My mum wanted me to ask you, if you would like to come to the Burrow for the last two or at least, last week of holidays? She didn't clear it with Dumbledore yet, but it should be OK, last year he didn't do any problems. So let us know when we can pick you up._

_Oh, and if you need us, we can break you out just like that time in the 3__rd__ year. I am sure the twins will be happy to help!_

_See ya!_

_Ron_

Harry sighted. He didn't look forward to replying to this letter. Hopefully, professor Dumbledore already made up some story, probably containing Voldemort, why he can't come to the Burrow this year. It was strange. This was the first year he was happy to stay where he was and not go to the Burrow. Well, it was the first time he wasn't staying with the Dursleys at this time either, so that should be normal, right? Well, it would be normal, if he wasn't staying with the most feared professor at Hogwarts, that he was supposed to hate. Ron would go nuts if he found out, and Hermione… he didn't know what Hermione would think, but she would probably run to the library to look up some hexes which could alter his personality.

However, he didn't really care about that. Even though he was 'chained' to the bed the last two weeks, it was still great. He learned plenty of defence and potions, and he could almost say that he and Professor Snape are almost friends. Well, they certainly didn't hate each other any more.

Deciding he will deal with the letter later, he carefully moved his legs so he was sitting on the edge of the bed. He picked up the crutches and carefully stood up, leaving the weight off his left leg. He awkwardly took a couple of steeps to the door and stepped into the bathroom. He washed his face and teeth, and dressed himself, deciding he will take a shower a bit later. He was too excited to be standing still right now. Finished, he went back to his room, and this time he chose the second door. He found himself in the hall. He looked around, as if for clue to where to go, but he didn't find any.

"Kizzy," he called.

"Oh, Mister Harry is out of bed! Kizzy is glad for Mister Harry!" squeaked the little elf.

"Thank you Kizzy. Could you please show me the way to the dining room? I guess that is where Professor Snape usually has breakfast, right?"

"Yes Mister Harry. Kizzy will show you the way," said the elf, and slowly started walking down the hall, constantly looking back to see if Harry was still following her.

With every step Harry took, he became more comfortable moving with crutches. It was hard at first, but he was getting better. That was, until they stood in front of the stairs. "Do we have to go this way Kizzy?" he said, already knowing the answer.

"Yes Mister Harry. There is no other way to go downstairs," replied the elf.

Groaning, Harry started moving again. Step by step he carefully moved downwards. He was relieved when he managed to get down safely. Kizzy was almost bouncing with excitement next to him. Harry rolled his eyes, and started moving again.

Soon, they arrived to the entrance of the dining room. The room was huge! There was a long table in the middle, made from dark wood. There were some cupboards along one wall, made from the same wood. The windows had light curtains, which made a nice contrast with the dark furniture. The room was very tastefully decorated.

"Good morning," he said to the Professor, who was already sitting at the table, apparently just finished his meal, and reading a newspaper.

He looked up, and replied, "Good morning, Mr. Potter. You managed to find the dining room, I gather?"

"Kizzy actually showed me the way," blushed Harry.

"At least you had the brains to call her. I am surprised," said Severus, with a false wonder on his face.

Harry smiled and took his seat, putting the crutches down, within easy reach. "It's great to be finally able to leave the room. I mean, do not get me wrong, I love my room, it's just kind of boring to be in there all the time. Can I help you in your lab today, or something?"

"Yes you may. But be warned! At the fist sign of disobedience, and you will be thrown out of my lab and forbidden to step foot in for the next ten years!"

"Yes sir. I promise."

"Very well then. Finish your breakfast and come to the basement," and with that, he stood up, and left the room, his black robes billowing behind him as he moved.

Harry still didn't find out how Snape managed that, but he promised himself he would.

He slowly ate his breakfast. He didn't have problems with solid food any more, so he ate some scrambled eggs and toast. Two weeks of healthy food and he was gaining his weight back steadily. Dudely's clothes were still hanged from him, but that was to be expected. He would never be as big as his cousin.

When he finished, he carefully stood up again and moved towards the potion's lab. After some problems with the stairs again, he arrived to his destination. When he saw that the door was closed, he gently knocked and a deep voice told him to enter.

The lab was absolutely huge! He thought that the lab at Hogwarts was big, but this one was twice its size. There were cupboards with potions ingredients on one side, and already made potions in a cabinet on the other side. Two other walls had long counters for preparing ingredients or for books and notes that you needed while making potions.

In the middle of the room there was a large space meant as a working place. Several cauldrons could be set up at one time, so the Potions Master could work on several potions at once, without the lab being crowded at all.

"Well, do you have plans to move today or are you planning on standing there like a statue?" a voice interrupted his observations.

Looking ashamed he moved forwards, and noticed a stool next to one of the counters, for him to sit on. He saw that there were some weird looking ingredients on the counter, waiting for him to chop or whatever was needed. Not wanting to be thrown out of the lab, he started working on the newts and beetles. Glad to finally have something to do, time seemed to pas by quickly, and he didn't even notice it was lunch time, until a voice interrupted the comfortable working silence.

"Come one, it's lunch time. We can't have you missing meals again."

Harry looked up from his work, surprised. Was that concern he heard in the Professor's voice? No, it can't be.

Severus opened the door and waited for Harry to come through, before closing them. He moved slowly so the student could catch up easily, and even helped him up the stairs.

"Thank you for your help today. We managed to do more potions in this one morning than I could do in two days. It will give me some time off. I appreciate it," thanked the professor to the surprised looking student.

"No problem. It was fun." Disbelief shown in Snape's eyes, he elaborated. "No! Really! I mean it. I could never believe that potions could be fun, but it was. I liked helping you. And I think it help that I actually understand some things better now, after reading all those books."

"Nonetheless, I think you had quite enough excitement for today. It would be better to slowly getting used to using and moving your leg. You will need to start doing some exercises for strength. I believe your leg will be otherwise too weak to hold your weight and it would take longer for you to heal completely."

"Yes sir." Harry didn't want to complain, because he wanted to be back on his feet as soon as possible. And it was understandable to be listening to the advice of the older man. "And I still have a few books I want to read before school starts again. I better start reading them, or I will never be able to finish them on time."

"You could borrow them, if you wish, and read them at Hogwarts. I do not mind."

Harry's face lit up. "Thank you! I still better go now. See you at supper?"

"Yes, at 7 pm sharp. Go now, insufferable brat," said Snape, with almost affection in his voice.

I would like to thank everyone for their reviews!


	7. Chapter 7

It's not mine!

_**Chapter 7**_

Harry went back to his room. Deciding he definitely needed a shower after the whole morning of potions, he went into the bathroom. Minding his leg, he carefully stepped under the hot water. Washing his body, he started noticing the scars that marked his skin. Magic couldn't heal all of them. After hiding from his emotions for his whole life, they now started to come to the surface. Tears started flowing from the green eyes filled with pain, as the water washed them away. He collapsed on the shower floor. "Was I really that bad that I deserved this? A freak? But I was still a small child when I came to leave with them, and they never even tried to treat me like they treated Dudley," thoughts began to swirl around his head.

After some time, he began to calm down. Tears slowed their flow, and shaking, he stood up. He turned off the water, thankful for the magic. Otherwise the water would be ice could after letting it flow for so long. The bathroom was full of steam, and he was thankful he could not see himself in the mirror.

He dressed in a fresh pair of clothes that the house elves provided. Emotionally completely drained, he decided to take a nap before supper. When Kizzy woke him up, he was still tired and depressed. However, since he definitely didn't want to anger his professor with not showing up for supper, just after they started to get along, he got up and went to the dining room.

Harry took a seat opposite of the potions master, who arrived just a minute before. He tried to smile in a greeting, but he didn't quite succeed. "Good evening, Mr Potter," greeted Snape.

The next moment, Kizzy and Chip brought out the supper. It was a pretty simple meal… mashed potatoes, baked beans and some sausages. Severus started eating, but soon he noticed that Harry was mainly playing with his food, only occasionally taking a bite. He knew that Potter wasn't particular about his food, so what wrong?

"Mr. Potter, is there anything you would like to tell me?"

Harry looked up from his plate and noticed that while the professor was almost finished, he didn't even ate a third of his food. "No, I am just tired. I think I will have an early night, if you do not mind."

Severus nodded, "As you wish. However, let me know if you are sick, I could simply give you some potions."

"Yes sir. I will let you know. Good night," he said, and slowly went back to his room.

Severus quietly sat at the table, his thoughts on Harry. "That is certainly not like him. I will have to check up on him later." He went to his office, trying to read a book, but his head would not cooperate. Finally, after an hour or two, he gave up. Walking across the hall to Harry's room (Just when did this became Harry's room, not his guest bedroom?) he stopped outside the door and listened. He didn't hear a sound for a room, so he slowly put his hand on the door handle, and opened the door.

Room was quiet, but Harry was turning around on his bed. At first, Severus thought he disrupted his sleep, but then he noticed that Harry was apparently having a nightmare. He stepped to the bed and heard Harry talking in his sleep, "No, please!" Silencing charms were put around the bed. Stupid brat. He had been probably suffering from nightmares every night and was hiding them from him! Why in the name of Merlin?

However, he didn't have time to think about that. He will have to ask him another time. He gently shook Harry's shoulders, hoping he wouldn't startle him. It didn't help, he was still trapped in the terrible world of nightmares. Severus took a seat on the edge of the bed and tried again, harder this time, "Mr. Potter! Wake up!"

This time, the green eyes opened. With a scream, "No!" he sat up and tried to jump of the bed for cover, but his legs were tangled in the duvet, so he had to free himself first. Severus was faster. He grabbed Potter by his hands and forced him to look at him. Knowing that using his surname would only further distress the boy, he used his name.

"Harry, you are safe here. You are not at your uncle's house, and you will never set foot in it again, if I have anything to say. Calm down," he talked with a surprisingly gentle voice.

Slowly Harry caught his breath and realised where he was. The memories were still fresh in his mind, and too much to bear. With a cry he set into motion and hugged his professor, who froze on the spot.

Harry was to distraught to take notice. He continued to cry, shakes seizing his body. Severus came out of his shock, and with a sight, embraced the boy. "Shhh…," he tried to calm him down. Caressing his hair, he whispered comforting words into Harry's ear.

After a while the shaking and crying stopped. Harry had fallen asleep. Severus laid him back down, and tried to stand up, but the brat wouldn't let go. He tried to pry the hands of his body, but Harry was holding onto him with a surprising strength. "Damn it," he swore, not knowing what to do. He didn't want to wake him up, but he couldn't sit here all night in a uncomfortable position, bending over the sleeping figure.

After several long minutes, the longest in Severus's life, he thought, he gave up and lay next to the young man. "Only for a little while, until he calms down and lets me go," he tried to convince himself. However, one hour later, the grip was still as strong as before and Severus was getting loosing battle, trying to stay awake. Finally, his eyes closed as his hands were still wrapped around the smaller figure.

* * *

Harry woke up extremely rested. He couldn't recall the time when he slept as good as today. As he was wondering, with his eyes still closed, how that was possible, he became aware he was not alone in the bed. His legs were entwined with someone else's, and his head was resting on that someone's chest. He gulped, trying to remember what had happened the night before.

"Of course!" he thought. "I had a nightmare, as always… But this time someone woke me up." He remembered the comfort of strong arms around him as he cried himself back to sleep. Blood rushed to his face as he, embarrassed, opened his eyes. He looked up and, yup, there he was, once his professor whom he hated almost as much as he hated Voldemort, but know… person he became to respect and … care about. He couldn't believe himself! "What have I done…," he whispered to himself. "He's going to kill me."

Harry tried to untangle himself away from his professor, before the man in question woke up, but in that moment, black eyes, as dark as the night, opened and locked his gaze with him.

"Am… good morning?" he said, not knowing what to do or say.

Evidently, that wasn't the smartest thing to say, because a scowl appeared on professor Snape's face, and he almost growled, "Kindly untangle yourself from me, Mr. Potter."

Harry hurried to obey, falling form the bad on his backside. Not the most dignified thing to do. He didn't think it was possible, but his blush deepened, his face almost purple in colour now.

"I… I… I'm sorry, sir!" he stammered out an excuse.

Severus took no apparent notice to the apology, but stood up and said, "make yourself presentable and meet me in my study in thirty minutes. Do not make me wait! We need to talk."

That scared Harry stiff. He awkwardly started moving around the room, looking for his glasses and clothes and dreading what waited him in the study.

* * *

A/N:

Otis-girl: you have a point. That was extremely out of character. I hope this chapter is believable!

X.xMeiko-samax.X, I'm Randomspicuous, Elee, WhiteDragonHawke, Mimaindi and the rest of you, thank you for your reviews.

I am sorry about shorter chapter, but it is more interesting this way, when you have to wait what will happen next J I will try to update soon.


	8. Chapter 8

I do not own it.

_**Chapter 8**_

Severus hurried out of the room. Deciding he needed a shower to clear his head, he headed to his bathroom. He stepped under the hot water and began washing his hair. "Falling asleep in Potter's bed… honestly…" he muttered. And know he had to talk to him about it as well! He never intended to fall asleep, but when Potter wouldn't let go… he was just too tired to stay awake for any longer. However, he did thought he would go to his own bed after a while, or at least, got up before Potter woke up. Severus couldn't understand why he didn't. He was an early riser, normally. Thinking back, he realized he slept better than normally too, not waking up once in the middle of the night. Shuddering, he dismissed the thought as quickly as it came.

By that time he finished washing himself, and he couldn't postpone any longer, so he got up and went to his study. Waiving his wand he saw he still had ten minutes before Potter came in. He was sure he wouldn't come early, so he had some time to think about what to say to the boy.

Technically, it was his fault, not Potter's, but he can't admit that to him! He paced up and down, stopping in front of a liquor cabinet, desperately needing a drink. "No, too early for drinking," he decided and dropped into his chair, behind a big wooden desk. "I am too nice to him. I must stop that at once." However, that wasn't as easy as it sounded. He could deny it all he wanted, but it didn't change the fact he started to care for the young man. Forced to realise Potter wasn't pampered and spoiled as he thought he was, just like Potter senior, he started to see the young man as he was.

Honest person, definitely Gryffindor, with a good sense of humour… His thoughts were interrupted by a soft knock on the door. "Enter," he said and the door slowly opened and a very timid Potter stepped inside the study. "Sit down," he instructed him and the young man obeyed instantly.

"Sir, I am sorry about…" Harry started talking, but Severus interrupted him.

"This will not happen again, am I understood?" He didn't quite know what he meant by that… Holding Harry? Comforting him? Or sleeping in his bed?

"And what was silencing charm doing around your bed? Care to explain?"

"I... um... that is… um... I didn't want to disturb you, sir," Potter finally stammered and bent his head.

Severus almost sighted, but caught himself in time. Those damn muggles. He was sure this was their fault. Well, he could certainly not yell at Potter for that. "Do not do it again. How often are the nightmares?"

Harry murmured something, but to quietly for Severus to hear.

"Repeat that and louder this time," demanded Severus.

"I said, several times a night," came a slightly louder reply, but it still quiet.

Naturally, Severus couldn't let that to continue. It was a wonder he got any sleep at all. "What are the nightmares about?" he asked, hoping Harry will open up to him. Maybe that would lessen the intensity and frequency of the nightmares.

First, Harry tensed and stayed quiet. Then he lifted his head and looked at his professor. "I would rather not talk about it, sir." He hadn't expected that question. The man called him in his study to yell at him, or possibly something worse, but never in his life time would he expect he wanted to_ talk_ to him. About his nightmares!

"If you do not talk about it, the nightmares will never go away. Trust me. What are they about? Your uncle?" he asked with reluctance.

And again, Harry's eyes were tracing some invisible patterns on the rug. After several minutes of silence, Harry admitted, "Yes, sir," but didn't expand.

This time, Severus did sigh. "Harry, I just want to help you. If you do not wish to talk with me, maybe talk to your friends, write a journal, or anything. You can not bottle your emotions inside. You will explode. Tonight I will give you a bottle of dreamless sleep potion. It should last for several days. I hope you will resolve your problems by then, but if not, let me know. I can not help you if you do not admit you need help. Am I understood?"

With grateful eyes Harry looked at his professor, and replied, "Yes, sir. Thank you… for everything."

Severus nodded in acknowledgment, but didn't verbally reply. "You are dismissed."

* * *

Harry went beck to his room, and sat down on the bed, thinking about what had just transpired between them. Was that really his professor? He knew things changed between them, but could he really trust him with this? He knew he could not talk to Ron or Hermione, Sirius was gone, he wasn't that close to Remus and writing a journal… well, lets just say he was never that good with words and expressing himself.

What could he do? Yes, potion would help for a several days, but even he knew he could not take it all the time. It was too dangerous. Besides, Snape would not give it to him that often. He would rather force him to talk.

Not knowing what to do, he decided to distract himself with a reply to Ron's letter. He took a blank piece of parchment and started to write…

_Hi Ron,_

_I am sorry about the late reply, but you know…_

_Please thank your mother in my name, but as I am sure professor Dumbledore already informed you, I can not come to your house this summer. I am sorry I can't write about that in the letter, but you know that letters can get intercepted._

_Anyway, tell me what is going on with your family? I hope the twins managed to get some new test subjects beside yourself, I am sure that they have a lot of new stuff to test. _

_Say hello to everybody, and I will hopefully see you before school, but if not, I will see you on September the 1__st__. _

_Enjoy your holidays, _

_Harry_

He hoped that was enough to keep the questions at bay, and that professor Dumbledore did in fact give some kind of an explanation. But knowing the headmaster… he probably said that Harry will let them know when he could.

He didn't know where the owlery was and he didn't fancy going to look for it on his crutches, so he decided to post the letter a bit later. He was sure that Hedwig will come to visit him soon. She was kind of overprotective since the whole summer incident.

He checked the time and saw he still had a few hours till lunch. He decided to continue reading his newest book on potions theory for beginners. Soon he gave up, and put the book down. He couldn't concentrate on the words. He kept thinking about the previous night, comforting arms around him and about the talk this morning.

By lunch time, he decided he would give Severus a chance and tell him about his childhood and about this summer.

* * *

A/N: I hope you like this chapter. I was taking a trip to Cambridge this weekend so I didn't have time to write.

I would like to thank: tonksiscool, adenoide, Mimaindi, otis-girl, crofty74, charl1e and tevote, for their reviews.


	9. Chapter 9

I do not own it.

_**Chapter 9**_

Harry slowly made his way downstairs, except that this time, the stairs didn't give him problems any more. He greeted his professor as he stepped into the dining room, and sat down.

Lunch was a tense affair. They didn't speak much, except for occasional request of "Could you pass me the salt, please," or something along these lines. Harry was nervous. He kept stealing glances at Severus, and then quickly looked back at his plate. Several times he even opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but he never did.

Severus of course noticed that, but he didn't say anything. He was still mad at himself for the 'bed' incident, as he called it in his head.

Finally, after they finished pudding, Harry gathered his Gryffindor courage and started talking.

"Professor?" he asked timidly.

"Yes Potter?"

"You know, when you said I can talk to you…?" Harry continued.

"Of course I know. I only said that this morning. What do you think? That I have such weak memory?" Severus answered, a little annoyed and a little relieved, because it seemed like Potter would like to talk.

"I am sorry, sir. Forget I said anything," Harry lost his courage and tried to stand up to leave the room.

"Sit back down. I do not make empty promises. If you wish to talk to me, you only have to say so and I will listen."

"Thank you, sir," tried Harry, but Severus interrupted him. "For Merlin's sake, would you speak already or do you plan to drag this absurd conversation for the whole day?"

"And do not apologize again!" he said, when he saw that Potter intended to do just that.

Harry looked slightly ashamed, so he quickly continued, before the professor would change his mind. "I think I would like to talk to you about my childhood, and my nightmares."

Severus stood up and turned around. "I think that discussion requires a more comfortable setting. Let us go to the living room."

Slowly, because of the crutches, Harry followed his professor. He had never been in the living room before, so he took advantage of the time that Severus used for lighting the fire, to look around the room. An elegant combination of beige and dark furniture surrounded him, and he wondered who decorated the house. It couldn't be Snape. Surely the house would be all in black, green or silver if he would be in charge of decoration the house.

Harry took a seat on the sofa close to the fire, which was charmed not to give away any heat. Opposite of him sat his professor in a big, comfortable looking armchair. He gladly took a cup of tea, which the house elf provided, from the nearby table. It gave his hands something to do.

When he couldn't find anything to postpone the inevitable with, he started. "I… I think I would like to tell you about my nightmares first."

With an encouraging nod from Severus, he continued with a soft, almost too quiet voice. "I have nightmares on most nights, often even several times a night. Sometimes, they are about Voldemort… him torturing muggles I saw in one of the visions, or torturing my friend…

"Visions?" asked Severus puzzled. It couldn't mean what it implied, could it?

"Yeah, visions. According to the headmaster, the failed killing curse created some kind of a connection between me and Voldemort. My scar is supposed to prove that. When He is especially happy or angry about something, my scar hurts, and if I am sleeping, I see through his eyes. Unfortunately for me, he is reeealy happy when he is torturing someone. I can even feel that to some degree."

Severus paled. He can feel all that torture and is still sane? The potions master's respect for the young man just increased to the roof. Something flashed across his mind, "All those anti-cruciatus potions… they weren't for the order, were they?"

"No, they were for me. I usually had at least two strong visions per week during the school year. Normally even more. It started to damage my nerves, so professor Dumbledore asked you to brew the potion. However, he knew that you wouldn't want to brew potions for me. So he invented that story about the Order needing more supplies or something. I wasn't too interested in that, so I do not know the details. Thank you for the potions by the way. They really helped."

'Of course they helped, it was he who brewed them,' Severus thought to himself almost scowled but stopped just in time. When he collected himself, he indicated to Harry he should continue.

When there is nothing happening with Voldemort, I have nightmares about my uncle… They are almost as horrible as the visions."

Severus waited patiently for Harry to continue, but when he saw that Harry lost himself in memories, he gently prodded. "What was the last night's nightmare about?"

He almost thought that Harry didn't hear him, when the young man said, "About my uncle. He… I have never seen him so mad before. I do not know what I had done wrong this time, but he pulled me from my bed to the floor with such force he almost broke my arm. Then he just started kicking me, hitting me… I tried to protect my head from the blows, but it hurt so much…" several tears dropped from his eyes.

"While he was beating me, he was screaming about how I should have died together with my parents. What a freak I am, an abnormality. That no one will ever care for me… that it would be better if I could just die, and leave his family alone…" Harry wrapped his arms around his torso and tried to comfort himself.

But he continued anyway, "Do you know what the worst part is? That I believe him. I believe everything he says. It would be better if Voldemort would just kill me. I will never be anything. All of them just want a saviour, their Golden Boy. But does anybody want just Harry?" By this time, Harry was openly crying.

Severus could not stand to look at the almost broken figure before him. The 'nightmare' seemed too detailed, too real. He was almost sure that it was Harry's memory replaying itself at night. He moved to the sofa, and pulled the crying boy into his arms. "Ssshhhh… it will be all right."

Harry clung to him with all his strength. Severus tried to give him the sought comfort and after a while the tears slowed down, and Harry lessened his grip. Severus leaned back to look at Harry's face. "Better now?"

"Yeah. Thanks," came a whispered reply.

"That was not just a nightmare, was it? It really had happened?" asked Severus.

Harry tensed and tried to move away from Severus. That told the potions master more than the words could.

"Harry, I just want to help you. It would be better if you would talk about it." the older man tried to convince his student to talk.

Because Harry was tired, he didn't have the strength to fight with him, so he gave up, and leaned back into embrace. "What do you want to know?"

"When did the abuse started?"

"It depends on what you call abuse."

"You tell me."

"Well… I guess… they never treated me normally. I was to young to understand it, but I know now, that having a cupboard under the stairs as your room is not considered normal. They never spent time playing with me, or talking to me, or anything. Their whole attention was fixed on their precious Dudley. A little to much, if you ask me."

"It was okay back then. I didn't really mind so much being ignored. I took Dudley's books and looked at the pictures and later, taught myself how to read. He never picked them up anyway. Then after some years, they started giving me chores to do. You know, the normal stuff… sweep the floors, weed the garden, cook our supper."

Severus snorted, normal, indeed. Harry continued as if he didn't hear him.

"After that, the first valance began. I think I was around nine or something like that. Nothing major. Just a push to the cupboard, or a slap on the back of the head. Dudley was worse during that time. Do you know that Ron was my first friend?" Harry smiled at the memory of meeting Ron for the first time.

Severus shook his head, "No, I did not know that."

"It was my cousin's fault. He used to beat up everyone who was nice to me. They all learned very fast… keep away from the Potter boy."

Unconsciously, Severus tightened the grip around Harry. "It was not your fault," he said, as if he was reading Harry's mind.

"It was better for a while after I started Hogwarts. I was moved to Dudley's second bedroom and they mostly left me alone. Probably scared of magic. I still had to do all of the housework by myself, but by that time, I was used to it."

"Then this summer… I don't know what happened. He was mad as he picked me up at King's Cross. He locked my trunk with my wand in the cupboard as soon as we got home and then he locked me in my room. I wasn't allowed to go out, except for the bathroom, once a day. Occasionally Uncle Vernon would bring up some water and if I was lucky, some leftovers from supper or stale bread. After two weeks, he threw me out of the house, said I was a freak and didn't deserve a room. It was the first time he really beat me. I was too weak to properly defend myself. I stayed in the backyard after that. He came around several times a day, trashed me around for a bit. Sometimes Dudley would come too. I couldn't stop them, I couldn't run, I…"

"It's all right, you are safe now. You don't have to go back there, ever again."

After a while, Harry calmed down. Severus wiped away the tears from his cheeks. "Are you all right now? You are probably tired. You should go to your room and tried to get some rest."

"No, please, can I stay here? I do not want to be alone right now. Please?" Harry asked with a small voice, and Severus could not find it in his heart to turn the boy away. So he just summoned a book for him, and tried to get comfortable on the sofa, while still holding the younger man close to him with the other arm.

A/N: Thank you luveCBLuvJP, crofty74 and Mimaindi for your reviews. It means a lot :)


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